Grip of the Strangler

1958
X
1h 18m

IMDb RATING

6.2/10

2.2K

YOUR RATING

Play trailer1:54

1 Video

13 Photos

Crime Horror Mystery

A researcher investigating a notorious serial killer who was hanged 20 years earlier seemingly becomes possessed by the long-dead strangler.A researcher investigating a notorious serial killer who was hanged 20 years earlier seemingly becomes possessed by the long-dead strangler.A researcher investigating a notorious serial killer who was hanged 20 years earlier seemingly becomes possessed by the long-dead strangler.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.2/10

2.2K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 nomination total

User reviews51

Featured review

7/10

Solid performance from the Master

A researcher (Boris Karloff) investigating a notorious serial killer who was hanged 20 years earlier seemingly becomes possessed by the long dead strangler.

I love that this film was given the star treatment by Criterion. It's definitely not one of the better-known Karloff films, which is a bit of a shame, because it's at least as good as anything he did for AIP. Maybe horror fans need to pay more attention to Criterion.

The simplicity of the transformation is great. Apparently the originally script called for more of a "possession" angle, and then it developed into more of a physical thing -- sort of Jack the Ripper meets Jekyll and Hyde. And Karloff nails it. By simply taking out his dentures, he successfully plays two very different people.

gavin6942
Aug 18, 2016
Permalink

Videos1

Trailer 1:54

The Haunted Strangler

Photos13

+ 7

More like this

6.4

Corridors of Blood

5.4

First Man Into Space

6.3

The Shadow of the Cat

6.1

6.2

6.5

6.3

4.9

4.6

6.8

The Man They Could Not Hang

5.5

Blood of the Vampire

5.8

The Ghoul

Storyline

Edit

Did you know

Edit

Trivia
While director Robert Day and the make-up man were discussing how to achieve Boris Karloff's metamorphosis without undue complication or expense, the actor volunteered that he could achieve the effect by taking out his dentures, which he had also done when he played Frankenstein's monster.

Goofs
One scene shows an evidence box from the Jack the Ripper case but the Haymarket Strangler that starts the movie took place in 1860 and the rest of the movie is 20 years later (1880). The Ripper killings were in 1888, eight years after the movie takes place.